The Hawk in the Linder
by fictionfervor
Summary: Peder's point of view of the book. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So this is going to be my first fanfic. Yep.

Right now, as I'm sitting in my room, typing this, I know that there's only like 5 _Princess Academy_ fanfics. Not the most popular, eh? But I'm going to type this anyway. Because I'm bored. And I really should start writing _something_. Exercise my pen. Or my laptop.

Okay, so now that you know I have a really bad sense of humor, I'm going to wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans and start typing. Don't I talk a LOT?

Oh, and this is Peder's point of view.

One more thing: I am very lovey-dovey. Or whatever you want to call it. Romantic. I swoon (no, not really). 'Cause I'm a girl. And that's what girls do whenever they read one of the cutest romance novels ever. So . . . yeah.

Okay, last thing (I keep on forgetting): I probably don't need to include this because it's kind of like common sense, but this is going to be shorter than the actual book, partially because I can't give that much detail to everything and this is _Peder's_ point of view, not Miri's. Not as exciting (girls are way cooler than boys, don't you think? :D) – so I'm going to cut it shorter to spare you the boredom.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, almost forgot to include this (like everything else I forgot). I do not claim that I've written _Princess Academy. _And I didn't write the little quarry-speech songs in the beginning of all the chapters. Leave that all to Shannon Hale. (And – this is off the topic, but – Shannon Hale is like my . . . well, she's in my top five favorite authors – which includes J. K. Rowling, James Patterson, Richelle Mead, and Suzanne Collins – so you should read her books. Seriously.)

- Chapter 1 -

_The east says it's dawn_

_My mouth speaks a yawn_

_My bed clings to me and begs me to stay_

_I hear a work song_

_Say winter is long_

_I peel myself up and then make away_

Peder opened his eyes to the first streaks of dawn. His mind wandered, eyes already imagining silver-streaked linder as his hands mimicked swinging a mallet and the voice in his mind sang a quarry tune. His hands started moving differently now – they were now carving a goat out of linder. He closed his eyes once more as if to continue sleeping, but then he sighed and slowly rose from his pea-shuck mattress.

He dressed quickly into his clothes and started to lace his boots. His pa and ma were already up, about to join the singing workers outside. Esa, his little sister, was also up, softly singing along with the quarry workers.

"Peder!" his ma said. "Mamaw feels sore today, and Esa needs to learn wedge work. Could you tend to the house?"

Peder nodded. His ma handed him food and kissed his head. "Thank you."

That morning, Peder did household chores – sweeping the hearth, banking the coals, and drying the fresh goat dung for the fire. He could hear the quarry workers singing as they swung their mallets and dragged stones out of the pit.

He led the goats to a grassy slope blooming with miri flowers. Peder watched the goats grazing, absentmindedly picking up a piece of thrown-off linder and carving it with his knife. When he was finished, he realized he carved a girl and was even more startled to see that it looked like Miri, one of his friends. Wondering why he'd carved her, he suddenly noticed that one of the goats was missing. He pocketed the linder statue. A bleating brought his attention to a stream where the loose goat was chewing grass slowly.

Peder splashed across the stream, chasing and then catching the bleating goat. He looked up and saw Miri at the top of the slope, looking at what seemed to be a miri flower. Then he heard a loud horn blast from the village center and turned that way.

The village did not have horns, so that must be the lowlanders. But why would the coming traders need to announce their presence?

He looked back to Miri and saw her coming down the hill with her goats. He grabbed his tethers, wrestling the unwilling goats, and caught up to her. "Miri!"

Miri was fourteen and yet more petite than others much younger than her. Her light brown braid swung slightly as she traveled down the hill, and she almost tripped over some rocks, making her blush. He liked her blush; it was rosier than the setting sun. He loved how they both knew what the other was thinking. What he loved most about her, though, was her laughter. It never failed to make him laugh with her.

"Hello, Peder. Why aren't you in the quarry?"

"My sister wanted to learn wedge work and my grandmother was feeling sore in the bones, so my ma asked me to take a turn with the goats. Do you know what the trumpeting is about?"

"Traders, I guess. But why the fanfare?"

"You know lowlanders. They're so _important_." Peder's voice held contempt for the haughty lowlanders that believed themselves to be so much more notable than Mount Eskel.

"Maybe one had some gas, and they trumpeted so the whole world would know the good news."

Peder smiled; he loved Miri's humor.

"Oh, really, is that so?" Miri asked Peder's lead goat.

"What?"

"Your nanny there said that stream was so cold it scared her milk right up into her mutton chops."

Peder laughed. He wanted Miri to say something else, something else that would make him laugh. But she kept her mouth shut the rest of the way to her house.

They tied up the goats, Peder trying to do all the work, but the goats butted one another and the tethers got tangled, bounding his ankles. "Wait . . . stop," he said, falling flat on the ground.

Miri attempted to help but instead got herself tangled with him, too. "We're cooked in a goat stew. There's no saving us now," she said, laughing.

They finally untangled themselves, and suddenly Peder felt like he should lean forward and kiss Miri's cheek. He shook his head, wondering what he was thinking. "This was a mess," he said before she knew what he was thinking.

"Yes. If there's one thing you're good at, Peder Doterson, it's making a mess," Miri teased.

"That's what my ma always says, and everyone knows she's never wrong," Peder said, smiling. The quarry was silent now, no pounding ringing in his ears. He could hear his heartbeat and hoped that Miri didn't hear it. A trumpet blared again, and they ran to the village center.

Wagons for the traders were already set up in the clearing, but a blue carriage was the main attraction as it rolled in. Peder frowned; traders didn't travel in carriages. It must have been someone important, maybe someone from the government itself.

Miri started to say, "Peder, let's watch from –"

"Peder!"

Peder turned his head to see Bena and Liana waving from a distance off. Seventeen-year-olds Bena and Liana were the prettiest girls in the village, and they loved smiling at boys in the village. Recently they'd been smiling at Peder.

"Let's watch with them," Peder said, waving, shyly smiling.

Miri shrugged. "Go ahead." She ran in the other direction to where her sister, Marda, and Esa was. Peder watched her go and turned around back to Bena and Liana.

Liana smiled at him. "Who do you think it is?"

Bena said, "Do you think it's from a rich trader?"

Peder shrugged. "My ma says that a surprise from a lowlander is a snake in a box." Bena nodded; Doter, Peder's ma, was considered wise for her sayings.

A trumpet blared again and a brightly dressed man yelled, "I call your ears to hearken the chief delegate of Danland."

Peder pressed forward. Someone from the government was here!

Squinting from the sunlight, a man with a beard emerged from the blue carriage and frowned. "Lords and ladies of . . ." He stopped and laughed. Peder's hands curled into fists. "People of Mount Eskel. As your territory has no delegate at court to report to you, His Majesty the king sent me to deliver you this news." His hat's yellow feather tapped against his brow because of the breeze. He kept on pushing it away. A few of the younger village boys laughed.

"This past summer, the priests of the creator god took council on the birthday of the prince. They read the omens and divined the home of his future bride. All the signs indicated Mount Eskel." No one said anything, and he sighed. "Are you so remote that you don't know the customs of your own people? This has long been a Danlander custom. After days of fasting and supplication, the priests perform a rite to divine which city or town is the home of the future princess. Then the prince meets all the noble daughters of that place and chooses his bride. You may be certain that the pronouncement of Mount Eskel shocked many Danlanders, but who are we to argue with the priests of the creator god?" He pushed away his hat feather again.

"As is the tradition, the king commanded an academy be created for the purpose of preparing the potential young ladies. Though law dictates the academy be formed in the chosen town, your village does not" – he squinted, looking around in a disapproving manner – "indeed, does not have any buildings of appropriate size for such an undertaking. Given these circumstances, the priests agreed the academy could be lodged in the old stone minister's house near the mountain pass. The king's servants are even now preparing it for use." He swatted the feather on his hat away from his cheek.

"On the morrow, all the girls in this village aged twelve to seventeen are ordered to the academy to prepare themselves to meet the prince. One year from now the prince will ascend the mountain and attend the academy's ball. He himself will select his bride from among the girls of the academy. So let you prepare." The feather on his hat flew toward his eye. He tore off the feather and threw it at the ground, making the wind blow it from the village, over the cliff, and away. The chief delegate returned to the carriage.

Everyone was silent. I could hear Miri say in a low voice, "Snake in a box."

**A/N**: So I hoped you guys liked it. One thing I have to say about it is that I'll like it now, but in a few months, I'll read it again and say, "I hate it." 'Cause that's me. I'm one of those low-self-esteem people. At least it's better than saying that a bunch of nonsense words is greater than Shakespeare.

I update on an irregular basis. It might be the next day that I make another chapter, or a week later, or a month later. I procrastinate too, so don't really expect another chapter coming tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Okay, and apparently I get to update this the day after! Yippee! (Note to self: Stop listening to my sister because she's the one that gets you to say the weirdest things ever. Like "yippee," apparently.)

This chapter's much, much, _much_ shorter than the first one. That's why I got to update this the next day.

**Disclaimer:** I'm not sure if I have to write this again, but I'll write it again, just in case. I do not claim that I've written _Princess Academy_ or the quarry-speech songs in the beginning of each chapter.

- Chapter 2 -

_Water in the porridge_

_And more salt in the gruel_

_Doesn't make a belly_

_Full, not a bellyful_

"Let's do what we came for," one of the traders shouted. Peder watched Esa bargain with one of the traders about food supplies for the winter. He looked around all the trader wagons until he found the jewelry trader, Sabet, who was attempting to convince Jetar, a girl of twelve, to buy a necklace. "Look at the quality of the jewel," Sabet said in a rough voice. "Worth three silver coins – three blocks of your linder."

Jetar shook her head and bounded off to her pa, who was bargaining with another trader. Sabet, sighing, used a cloth to clean his stand.

Peder walked to Sabet and said in a low voice, "I'm willing to sell something."

Sabet eyed Peder and nodded to himself; apparently Peder passed some test.

Peder took out a carved figure of a tree from his pocket and showed Sabet the linder. "I carved it myself."

Sabet took the linder-tree and examined it, taking out a lens. "You show promise. How much do you want?"

"Three silver coins."

Sabet looked down at Peder in surprise. "Three? This is hardly worth one, boy. I'll be generous. Give you two silver coins."

Peder shook his head. "Three. Take it or leave it."

Sabet pushed back the tree. "Leave it. Unless you have something else to offer?"

Peder dug through his pockets and came up with a figure of a goat, a chicken, and Miri. Sabet examined them all. "I might take the goat and chicken. Who's this girl? Your girlfriend?"

Peder's face turned red. "No, just a friend."

Sabet chuckled. "The goat, chicken, and tree altogether are four silver coins. I won't take the girl, though. Leave you something to give to your girlfriend." He produced four silver coins from his pocket.

Peder, face still red, took the coins and the figure of Miri and pocketed them. He walked away from the wagon, pocket jingling with his money. He occasionally stopped at a wagon, examining things of interest, like a knife with a jeweled handle or a stone carving. Nothing fascinated him, though, and he returned to the house, the orange and hazy sunlight streaking down the mountain.

Esa was home already, storing away winter supplies in the house. Peder helped her move the biggest barrels as Esa chattered about the princess academy.

"Peder, do you really think there's going to be an academy?" she asked as Peder hauled a barrel of salt fish into a corner. "I mean, do you think it wasn't just a trick by the traders?"

"I don't know, Esa." He imagined what life would be like without his sister cheerfully helping Mamaw to her cot or without her pounding away with her mallet in the quarry. He'd miss her, for sure. He'd also miss the other girls. One in particular.

"How will the village get by with half of the girls gone?" Esa wondered. "I'll ask Ma about what to do. She always knows."

Peder's ma and pa opened the door; it was night already. "Evening, Esa, Peder," Ma said.

"Ma, do you really think that they'll have an academy?" Esa said over their dinner.

Ma nodded. "They wouldn't go to such lengths to cheat us, I think."

Esa, wide-eyed, asked, "But how will the village get by without the girls?"

Pa shook his head. "We wouldn't. We'd all miss you too much."

It was hard to concentrate on other things. Peder shook his head, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

**A/N:** I think I'm getting slightly better at this. Slightly. Don't really know yet, but I think there's been an improvement. :D

I think I'll write the next chapter, too. Just 'cause I'm bored.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** And, indeed, I'm writing the next chapter. Chapter Three. Yep.

**Disclaimer**: I hereby declare that I didn't, don't, and won't ever claim that I wrote _Princess _Academy or any of the quarry-speech songs in the beginning of each chapter. And now that saves up time writing more disclaimers for all of my chapters.

- Chapter 3 -

_Tomorrow's a red flush in the western sky_

_Tomorrow's a black hush in the middle night_

_Tomorrow swears the truth of now, now, and now_

_In the trembling blue gasp of the morning light_

Peder heard a trumpet blare before dawn. He saw his ma, frowning, open the door.

"Who is it, Ma?" Esa asked.

"A soldier," Ma replied. "He's come to take you, Esa."

Esa walked to the door and stood behind her ma. "I've come to collect Esa," a soldier said, glancing at a thin wood board. Behind him, Peder could see other soldiers holding torches knocking on other villagers' doors. "She's attending the princess academy."

Peder stood up and said to the soldier, "No. You're not taking my little sister." Esa glanced frightenedly between her brother and the soldier.

The soldier smirked. "And what's going to stop me? You, little boy?" He prodded Peder with his finger. "I have instructions to take any _resisters_ to the capital, you know."

Ma whispered in Peder's ear, "Let it go. If he wants Esa, he will have her. As long as he doesn't hurt her."

Peder eyed the soldier doubtfully. Os, one of the village men, said, "Doter! We're meeting in the village center!"

Peder's ma and pa glanced at each other and walked over to the village center, Esa, Peder, and the soldier following. Esa and Peder melted into a group of village boys and girls as the adults argued over what to do.

"How will we manage without the girls to help in the quarry?" Frid's ma said.

"What will happen at the academy? How will we get to them if they're in trouble?" another parent asked.

The adults argued until finally they reached a decision at dawn. "Girls, come on over," Os yelled.

Peder watched as Esa and Miri followed other girls toward Os. He stepped forward, wanting to listen to what Os said.

"Girls. We've all agreed that the best thing is for you to attend the lowlander academy." Some girls sighed and others moaned as they realized they were being separated from their families. "Now don't worry. I believe these soldiers that all will be well with you. We want you to study hard and do your best and be respectful when you should. Go gather your things and don't drag your feet. Show these lowlanders the strength of Mount Eskel."

Peder saw Miri dejectedly walking away from the crowd toward her house. He caught up to her and asked, "Are you going?"

Miri looked up and said, "Yes, I guess. I don't know." She shook her head. "Are you? I mean, of course you're not – you're a boy. I meant to ask, do you wish I weren't? Never mind."

Peder smiled. Miri would miss him. "You want me to say that I'll miss you." And he would.

"I'll miss you. Who else can make a mess of everything?" Miri walked away. Peder heard his name called and turned around to see Bena and Liana.

"Oh, Peder! We won't be able to see each other!" Bena said.

Liana sniffed. "I won't be able to see my family."

Peder shook his head. "We can't do anything about it, really."

"We'll miss you, Peder," Liana said, Bena nodding. "It'll be miserable without you."

Peder's face turned pink. Bena and Liana said goodbye, and Peder returned to his house.

Ma and Pa were hugging Esa, who was holding a bundle of clothes and a bag of food. She was crying.

They pulled apart as Peder entered the room. Peder smiled. "I'm gonna miss you, little sis. Remember to take care of your arm."

Esa sniffed and didn't say anything. She just hugged her brother, her left arm awkwardly held.

"I guess I should go," she said, pulling away. "The other girls are leaving."

Peder watched his sister leaving, joining Frid. He watched the girls go and saw Miri catch up with Esa and Frid. He'd miss his sister. He'd miss Miri, too.

**A/N**: OH, KAWAII! (That means "cute" in Japanese – and no, I'm not Japanese.)

My chapters are really short. I'm slightly irritated by that, but I can't really help it. This one was only a page long on my computer (meh). I'm going to have to do something about that . . .


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Now, this is where it starts to get slightly different from the book. I hope I'll be able to get it right . . .

- Chapter 4 -

_Tell my family to go ahead and eat_

_To make it home I'd have to move my feet_

_But the mount's made stone where my feet numbered two_

_And I've swallowed more dust than I can chew_

The next day, Peder woke up, waiting to hear his sister singing a quarry song. Then he remembered.

When he went outside, he saw Os and asked him when the girls were coming home. "The soldiers didn't tell us. Why don't you go ask them yourself? I'll tell your ma where you are."

For three hours he traveled on the road toward the old minister's house. He stopped occasionally, picking up scrap linder here and there and imagining what the girls would do on the road. As he approached the academy, he saw a soldier outside.

"The village asks when the girls will come home," he said.

The soldier told him to wait and brought out a tall woman with sunken cheeks. "What do you want?" she asked.

"The village sent me to ask when the girls are coming home." He heard whispers and giggles from inside the house and knew that they were from Bena and Liana.

"You tell the village that everything is fine," said the woman. "I know the soldiers explained to their parents that I must have absolute freedom to teach and train the girls if I am to succeed. They will visit home when they earn it, and disrupting my class with questions will not bring them home any sooner."

Peder nodded in understanding, though inside he was furious. Why couldn't he be allowed to see the girls? The woman returned to the house.

Peder looked through the window outside, trying to see past the sun's glare – trying to see his sister and Miri. Kicking the ground, he hit his toe on a piece of linder and picked it up. Then he ran back toward the village.

That night, snow fell. The snow would fall in white drifts that covered everything – the houses, the grass, the road, the quarry, the mountain. He knew the girls wouldn't – couldn't – return home until spring thaw. He knew he wouldn't see his sister sing until then. He knew he wouldn't see Bena and Liana smile at him until then. He knew he wouldn't see Miri laugh until then.

**A/N:** Sorry it was so short; there wasn't that much I could fit in. :(


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Okay, I was lying a bit the last chapter. It wasn't _that_ much different from the book; here it definitely is.

- Chapter 5 -

_Everybody knows that the best things come last_

_That's why my ma says I'm last in everything_

_I always wear cast-off shirts and worn-through boots,_

_Scrape the bottom of the pot, and bathe downstream_

Every day for the rest of the winter, Peder would get up and bundle himself in warm clothes. He would then go to the quarry and join the rest of the villagers, pounding away on their mallets. He'd think of his little sister often. He'd miss Esa's laugh, sometimes imagining that she was right beside him, laughing with him.

Peder missed Miri. He missed how he always knew what she was trying to say, how he felt – clumsy and dumb – when she was around. Watching her watch the sky as if she could just fly if she concentrated enough, watching her twirl a miri flower around, watching her make a wish. The way she laughed, the way she spoke, the way she always knew what to say. He missed her a lot.

Missing her made him wonder if she missed him. Was she content learning how to read and write? Was she content knowing that the prince might choose her as his bride? Thinking of the prince made Peder mad. He didn't want Miri with the prince.

_Lighten the blow_, his ma told him through quarry-speech. He must've shown his anger.

Peder changed his mind. If Miri was happy with the prince, would he want her to have that future? He thought he would.

Working in the quarry got harder and harder every day. He'd often lose himself in his imagination, wondering when the girls would come home.

One day, he absentmindedly carved the academy from the scrap linder he had found. Looking at it when he was done, he angrily threw it down the hill. It was lost in the snow forever.

Peder paused. Why did he care so much? Why did he miss Miri so much?

_You're her friend_, he reminded himself. _But is that it? Just a friend?_

He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

**A/N:** Argh ... these are getting shorter and shorter. But still, I like this chapter. :D Peder's learning that he cares for Miri. A lot.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Because there's really nothing related to Peder in the next four chapters in the book, I decided to make those four chapters mostly flashbacks for my story. :) Also, many thanks to **Awsomly Odd** and **pompomrat** for reviewing!

- Chapter 6 -

_Whiskers taut, front teeth bared_

_Shaking breath, round eyes scared_

Peder couldn't concentrate in the quarry anymore. He could only think of Miri.

He'd keep on thinking of days they'd spend together, when they were only little kids, when they were young enough to hold hands, when they were carefree. He closed his eyes.

_A grassy hill with pink miri flowers gently blowing in the wind. Ten kids running around in a circle, shouting in excitement._

_A girl of two with pink miri flowers in her hair walks up to a boy of three, who is picking up scrap linder from the ground. "Hi, I'm Miri. What's your name?"_

_Startled, he drops a piece of linder and looks up. Miri has her hand outstretched toward the boy. "My name's Peder," he says._

_Miri smiles. "Do you want to be friends?"_

_"Sure," Peder said, holding Miri's hand._

Someone tapped on Peder's shoulder. "Peder," his ma said, "let the goats out."

Peder nodded. He shooed the goats out of the house and brought them up the hill, covered with snow. _The same hill he first met Miri._

Snow fell down in little flakes. They melted in Peder's hair.

He looked up and down the hill, trying to find something. Walking down the slope, he found it.

He sat down in the spot he'd first met Miri. Another memory came to him.

_Peder was nine. He was fetching water for someone in the quarry and passed a hill. He could see Miri crying softly._

_He brought the water to the quarryman and returned to the hill. His shadow passed over Miri, who looked up._

_"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down beside her._

_"Oh, nothing," she said, wiping her tears. "It's okay; I'm fine now."_

_"Here," said Peder, dropping something in Miri's hand. "I learned something from my ma. She said that I can make things out of stone, like those carvings on the chapel door. I tried to make one before – it didn't turn out so well. But you can keep it."_

_Miri examined the misshapen piece of linder. "What _is_ it?"_

_Peder laughed. "It's _supposed _to be a miri flower."_

_Miri laughed with him. "It looks more like goat dung."_

_Peder smiled. "See? You're laughing now. Ma says that laughs will do you more good than a belly full of soup."_

_Miri smiled. "Thanks."_

It was obvious Peder missed Miri. But why did he think about her so much? "I know she's my best friend," he said out loud to a goat nearby chewing a tuft of grass not completely covered in snow. "But why do I keep on thinking about her?" The goat, staring at Peder with wide eyes, kept on chewing.

Peder thought of another time with Miri.

_"Ah! It's a mouse!" Miri said, shrieking and jumping away. Miri was ten; Peder was eleven._

_Peder smiled. "It's only a mouse, Miri," he said, picking it up by its tail._

_Miri whispered, "Let it go, it's freaking me out."_

_Peder laughed. He set the mouse gently down on the ground. They were on the road, eating honeyed nuts. The mouse had smelled food and jumped onto Miri's shoe. She had shaken it off, yelping as it scurried toward a nut she dropped._

_"Are you _that _scared of mice?" he teased._

_"Yes, I'm deathly afraid that they'll crawl up to my cot at night and crawl into my hair." She delicately shuddered. Peder's smile turned to a grin._

Peder smiled.

**A/N:** Well, this was a weird chapter. :)


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Continuing Peder's walk down Memory Lane . . . :)

- Chapter 7 -

_I've a lever for a bandit_

_And a chisel for a rat_

_I've a mallet for a she-wolf_

_And a hammer for a cat_

Peder woke up to an icy cold morning. He'd been dreaming about Miri – about the time they'd made honey cake three years ago.

_"Ew," Miri said, mixing up the flour, eggs, and honey. "It doesn't look very appetizing."_

_Peder laughed. "That's because it's not done, silly."_

_Miri poked the mixture with her wooden spoon. "But it's really gooey . . ." She took out the spoon again. Cake fell from the spoon onto her dress. She yelped. Peder laughed._

_"If you find it so funny," she said, suddenly grinning, "then let's see how funny it is on you." Peder's eyes widened. She threw a lump at him._

_"Hey!" Peder said, dodging another throw. He ducked and picked up a chunk and threw it at Miri._

_Miri burst out laughing and threw another handful as she dodged another attack. In the end, they'd both gotten covered in the cake and smelled like honey cake for days after they'd showered._

Why weren't things so complicated then? Peder wondered.

Another memory pushed on his mind.

_Peder held Miri's hand as they stepped over rubble rock. Peder was seven, and Miri was six._

_"See that peak over there?" he pointed out to her. She looked up and stared. "It's the top of Mount Eskel," he continued. "When I grow up, I want to climb there and be the first explorer."_

_Miri looked at Peder. "But isn't that dangerous?" She peered down the steep mountain. "You could fall and hurt yourself."_

_"Not me. I'll be big and strong." He held out his chest in a way similar to Superman _(**A/N: **Haha, I have to insert that I'm bursting out with laughter here – seriously. He had a Superman look – chest out, hands on hips kind of thing)_. "I can handle it."_

_"Well, then you might as well practice," Miri said, letting go of Peder's hand to start climbing the hill. She started singing, "I've a lever for a bandit and a chisel for a rat. I've a mallet for a she-wolf and a hammer for a cat."_

_Peder looked shocked. "What are you doing?"_

_Miri looked back down. "I'm practicing. To help you when you climb to the top of Mount Eskel."_

_Peder looked stunned for a moment and then started climbing after her._

Why did he remember this? Peder frowned. After several minutes of thinking, he finally realized that it was the last time he and Miri held hands.

It seemed like eternity.

Peder frowned; he was on the hill covered with snow now. This hill seemed magical. He had met Miri here, he had become friends with Miri here. They'd spent many days on this hill.

This was _their_ hill.

Peder started to shape a ball of snow. Then, imagining Miri was here, he threw it at the imaginary Miri. Just like the old days.

_"Hey!" a twelve-year-old Miri yelped. The snow felt cold against her back._

_Peder was laughing so hard he almost fell back in the snow. Miri scrutinized him and then picked up a ball of snow._

_Peder stopped laughing. "Er, what are you doing?" Then, realizing what she was about to do, he said, "I didn't – I –" and started to run. But it was too late. The snowball hit his head with a loud _smack! a_nd he fell into the snow. Miri ran after him, laughing, and then helped him up._

_Peder rubbed his head. "Who are you?"_

_Miri widened her eyes. "Oh, no, Peder, I –"_

_Peder started laughing. "Got you!" Miri pushed him into the snow again and heard his muffled laughter._

Peder could almost see Miri laughing at him right now. He wished he could see her – he'd give _anything_ to see her face right now.

He couldn't wait until spring.

**A/N:** Haha, I loved this chapter. This is like classic for kids to do – food and snowball fights. :) Awesome.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hoho, I'm gonna probably have like 4 chapters for tomorrow – it's night now.

- Chapter 8 -

_My toes are colder than my feet_

_My feet are colder than my ribs_

_My ribs are colder than my breath_

_My breath is colder than my lips_

_And my lips are purple and blue, purple and blue_

One year ago, Mount Eskel had the biggest blizzard ever experienced. People huddled in their houses, afraid of going out and freezing to death.

Peder stayed inside the house all day for seven days. Finally, he couldn't take the stuffiness and loneliness anymore.

"I'm going to slip outside for five minutes," he told Esa, whose eyes widened.

"Peder, don't!" she said. "You could freeze to death!"

"It'll only be five minutes," he said. "Ma and Pa won't even know I'm gone. If I get in trouble, you'll find me. I'll be right outside."

In the end, Esa let him go – she couldn't convince him otherwise. Peder bundled up in his warmest clothes and took a deep breath. Then he headed outside.

Snow was falling everywhere – or more like blowing. The blizzard made everything swirl around Peder – he couldn't see where he was going.

The iciness made him feel chilled to the bone; he wasn't wearing enough. His teeth chattered. All he could feel was the coldness, the coldness seeping through his veins and his body.

He turned around; he couldn't find his house anywhere. Everything looked like white snow – nothing could be seen.

He kept on walking to the left – he had to bump into a house eventually, right? _Right?_

He kept on walking for what seemed to be hours. No house came into sight. Nothing.

Finally, he saw something. What was it? He squinted through the snow. It was a house! A villager's house! He treaded through the snow, finally reaching the house and knocking on the door. He was so close to freezing to death.

No one answered.

Peder panicked; where was everybody? Then he remembered that no one would be able to hear someone knocking over the roaring of the wind. He started screaming, "_Help!_" in a hoarse voice.

The door opened, and a head peeked around. It was Miri. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of an almost frozen Peder and called for her pa.

Peder fainted and vaguely felt warm arms catch him.

Keeping his eyes closed, Peder woke up from his nightmare. He'd dreamed that he had almost frozen to death in a blizzard. Of course, that never happened before. Did it?

He frowned. No, of course it didn't. But why did he feel someone stroking his hair?

He opened his eyes. Miri sat beside him with a sad smile on her face, though she withdrew her hand.

"Hey, you're awake," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he croaked; he needed water. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days," Miri murmured. "The blizzard's stopped. As soon as it did, my pa told your ma what happened."

"Is there anything wrong with me? Anything broken?"

Miri shook her head. "You're absolutely fine. Frid's ma just said that you needed to sleep it off and drink lots of water." **(A/N: **I'm no doctor, so I don't know if this is true . . . So please don't blame me if I get it wrong. I probably did.)

Peder kept his eyes on Miri. "I probably shouldn't have gone outside, huh?"

She smiled, her eyes still sad. "It's okay. You were probably dying from being kept up in there."

Peder managed to smile back. "Seems like something you'd do."

Miri laughed. "But I'm not as crazy as you are."

"Of course you're not. That's why I'm more interesting."

Miri shook her head, though she was glad to see Peder better. She changed the subject. "Your ma's going to bring you back to your own house tomorrow – you should be better enough by then to be able to walk."

Peder looked around the room, which was very similar to his own house. Three-room house. Three cots near him in a neat line. Across the room, the entrance to the bathroom and a table with three chairs. An oven. Near him, the way to where the goats slept. "Nice house."

"Thanks." Miri's voice still sounded sad.

Peder turned back to her. "What's wrong?"

Miri shook her head and closed her eyes, as if to get rid of things in her mind. "Well, it's just . . . you scared me, you know."

"How?"

"When I opened that door . . . you looked like you were about to die. I was so worried – I thought that was the last time I'd ever see you. You're my best friend." She opened her eyes. "And then you just fainted right in front of me. You scared me, Peder."

"I'm sorry," Peder said sincerely. "I knew I shouldn't have done that."

"No, you didn't."

"Huh. Well, now I do."

"Promise you'll never do it again." Something creeped into Miri's voice. Peder couldn't detect it. "Promise."

"I solemnly swear I'll never do it again," Peder said, holding up his right hand. "Does that satisfy you?"

Miri sighed. "Enough." She left the room.

**A/N:** I actually kinda liked this chapter. It was kind of like a oneshot stuck into a story, but still . . . it shows how much Miri cares for Peder. I didn't know I was gonna write this at first, though . . . writing just flows for me. It definitely didn't happen in the book, but I just wanted to stick this in. My mind was looking for things to write, I guess.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** If I mess up this chapter, please don't blame me – my mind is still full of the book I just read.

- Chapter 9 -

_Breathe, buzz, hint, spell_

_Sigh, speak, say, tell_

Winter was gradually ending. Peder could feel it in his bones. He looked out his house's window where he saw snow gently falling to the ground. But in a few weeks, the snow would stop. He smiled.

Once the snow stopped – once spring came – the village would hold the spring holiday. Peder remembered the last spring holiday clearly.

_Peder watched as Frid hurled another stone and turned in the other direction where Miri was dancing with another boy. Something surged in his throat; why would he feel bitter towards his friend Almond? He shook his head, trying to dispel the emotion he felt._

_"Hi, Peder," a smiling Bena said as she walked past him. Peder smiled briefly at her and watched as Miri twirled her ribbon with Almond._

_Night was already falling; the story shouts were starting in another corner of the clearing strewn with bonfires. Liana was telling a story of a princess as Miri joined Peder. "Fascinating, isn't it?" she said, picking at her chain of miri flowers._

_Peder nodded, looking at the shadows of the fire. "It's nice to just hang out for a while, not having to do quarry work or anything like that. Just hang out."_

_They spent the rest of the night together, saying nothing and staring off into the fire._

Peder stared out into the snow again – these days, all he seemed to do was daydream. He could just imagine the honeyed nuts and salted rabbit. Roasted apples and honey tea danced at the edges of his mind. He could barely make out the green tinge of grass in the snow right now.

"The girls are coming home soon," he whispered.

**A/N:** I know, this chapter sucked. Sorry. My brain's dead. I have writer's block at the moment. Wait for me to bonk it out for a sec.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Okay, this is the last flashback chapter I'm gonna have . . . Also, I'd like to note (just as a reminder) that this story is going to be very, very long. Because whereas _Princess Academy_ was Miri's book, _The Hawk in the Linder_ will be Peder's book.

- Chapter 10 -

_No wolf falters before the bite_

_So strike_

_No hawk wavers before the dive_

_Just strike_

One more day until the spring holiday. Peder could feel the anticipation in the air. Spring was warmly embracing Mount Eskel right now; birds were singing, flowers were blooming, goats bleated and wanted to go outside. Yet there was still something wrong: the girls weren't there to experience it with them.

"Ma, do you actually think that woman will let the girls come back?" Peder asked.

His ma, pausing from making dinner, shook her head. "From what you tell me of her, she seems harsh. If this was a Danlander tradition, maybe she would, but I'm not so sure. If our girls behave well, they might get out."

Peder gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm heading out," he said.

He climbed up his special hill – all the way to the top – and tried to see the academy. He could barely see it – it was as large as a pebble from where he stood. This somehow reminded him of one day . . .

_A five-year-old Miri was chasing Peder up the mountain. "Give it back to me!" she bawled._

_Peder raced to the top, screaming "Never!" and laughed. He turned around and saw the sunset._

_The reds and golds of the beautiful sunset stopped him in his tracks. He only had five seconds of peace before Miri, not looking where she was going, bumped into him, making them both roll down their hill._

_"Ouch!" Peder said, rubbing the back of his head when they were at the bottom. "What'd you do that for?"_

_"You stole my doll!" Miri pouted._

_"Yeah, but you didn't have to roll us all the way down!" he said, gesturing wildly. "I was admiring something!"_

_"What?"_

_"The sunset!"_

_Miri looked up at the sky. "Doesn't seem like that much to me," she said, though Peder knew she was lying as she stared at it, fascinated._

_"But look at the colors. Look, that's the color of the streaks in the pink-streaked linder. And there – it's the color of honey . . ." Peder spent the rest of the day describing the different colors to Miri, who only stared, wide-eyed._

**A/N:** Bleh. Not a good chapter. Phooey.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Sorry about the REALLY, REALLY long break I had from FanFiction. During that 3-week (or was it 4-week?) period, I read millions of books and fanfics and ate junk food. :D Who doesn't love books and food? And I also discovered a new obsession: Maximum Ride. Haha, yeah, I know I'm late. Considering that the sixth book is already out for that series. :D

And, to top off my excuse, school started. And school = homework. Just a little fact for you, in case you didn't know.

And what's really ridiculous is that I had to read my own fanfic to get in my "writing mode," as I like to call it. I mean, who reads their own fanfic? NO ONE. _ It makes me seem like such a self-absorbed person. Sigh.

Last note: This chapter will be the spring holiday one, so people who've been waiting for this, this is for you.

Anyways, thanks to **harrypotterginnyweasley** for writing yet another great review for my fanfic! :)

* * *

- Chapter 11 -

_I'll raise the ladle to your lips,_

_Drip water on your fingertips,_

_And stay although my heart says flee._

_Will you look up and smile at me?_

The day of spring holiday. Peder woke up, refreshed, almost expecting to see Esa sitting up in her cot. He looked around. No Esa. Meaning no Miri.

Peder sighed. Perhaps the girls would get home later today, though he doubted it. The woman he saw at the academy – Os later told him that her name was Olana – seemed very much like a lowlander who wouldn't follow the traditions of Mount Eskel. Peder shook his head. Imagining a spring holiday without the girls was like drinking soup and never feeling full.

Peder rose from his cot and dressed. Outside, the hills were green again. Goats grazed on the grass outside, and miri flowers bloomed. The sky was the perfect shade of blue. In terms of the weather, the day was beautiful.

Peder herded the goats and brought them up a hill. He squinted into the distance, trying to see the academy. He could actually make out its outline, and for one second, he thought he recognized Miri coming out. But he shook his head, hardly believing that he saw his best friend just when he looked.

But then something caught his eye again. The academy was suddenly surrounded by mountain girls, all running down the road to the mountain. How did they get away? Peder wondered.

No matter. The girls were back. Peder grinned, suddenly feeling a whole lot better.

* * *

"We're here, we're back!" the girls from the academy shouted as they arrived just after the empty barrel dance started. Peder turned around. He could see Esa and Miri and, in the back, Bena and Liana.

The villagers cheered, breaking the rhythm of the dance. Peder immediately rushed to Esa, hugging her and saying that he missed his little sister. Esa, eyes bright, hugged him back with her right arm.

The spring holiday was amazing. Honeyed nuts and roasted apples, salted rabbit and honey tea – all delicious. Frid hurled her stone in the contest the farthest she'd ever done yet. Everyone was happy, happy that the girls were back and happy that spring finally came.

Ribbon dances started. Bena immediately claimed Peder, insisting that she share her ribbon with him. After Bena, Peder looked around for Miri for two seconds before Liana came up and shared her ribbon with him. Peder smiled and nodded along with the both of them and secretly wished he could dance with Miri.

Finally, Bena and Liana let him go so that they could dance with other boys. Peder immediately spotted Miri without a partner and rushed to claim her ribbon. But Miri didn't look up at him and just stared at the ground.

Peder wondered what he did wrong. Did something happen in the academy that caused her to rethink their friendship? His eyes tightened, and he danced harder.

After a while, he stopped dancing with the girls, instead choosing to watch from a distance as the dances ended and the story shouts began. At one point, Os asked the academy girls for a tale.

Bena started, saying, "The girl with no hair left home to wander hills where she was not known." She pointed at Liana, who continued.

"An eagle mistook her for her fallen egg and carried her up to its nest." Liana pointed to Frid.

Frid shouted, "A quarrier plucked her from the eagle's nest, thinking her a good stone to break," and then pointed to Gerti.

Each academy girl invented a line as the story continued. Esa shouted, pointing at Miri, "Last line!"

Miri grinned. "With her bald head shining like a gold crown, a wandering prince mistook her for an academy princess and carried her away to his palace." And the story ended.

Peder wandered around the village center, eventually sitting down beyond the light by himself. Why had Miri not talked to him? Did she not want to be friends with him anymore? He felt like dying.

"Hi, Peder." Peder looked up. Miri stood in front of him, looking down at him with an expression he couldn't place. "How have you been?"

"All right, thanks." He looked back to his lap, feeling only slightly happier that Miri was talking to him.

"May I sit with you?" Something in her voice made him look up.

"Sure."

Miri sat down, hesitantly saying, "I'd like to hear about . . . how things have been . . . lately."

"Fine enough. A little quieter than usual without Esa in the house," Peder replied.

"How have your ma and pa been doing?" Miri continued to ask questions throughout the night. Eventually, Peder was telling Miri about the winter freely.

"Never thought I'd miss my little sister. Esa . . . and all the girls." In other words, Miri. He glanced at her face and then looked away. "I never thought that every day of working the quarry could get any worse."

"What do you mean, worse?" Miri's voice held skepticism. "Don't you like the mountain? You wouldn't rather be a lowlander."

"No, of course not," Peder denied, picking up a piece of linder. "I don't mind quarry work, really, but sometimes my head gets tired of it, and I want to . . . I'd like to make things, not just cut stone. I want to do work that I'm really good at, that feels just right." Peder stopped. He'd never mentioned to anyone that he wanted to carve from linder.

"If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?"

Peder thought and was about to answer but then wondered if he should tell Miri. She might think it stupid or dumb, he thought. "Never mind, it's nothing," he said, absentmindedly throwing the linder shard away.

"Peder Doterson, you had best tell me now. I'll hold my breath until I know."

Peder picked up another linder shard. Did he trust her? Would she laugh at him? Finally, he said, "It doesn't really matter, but I've always . . ." he trailed off, trying to find a way to explain.

"You know the carvings on the chapel doors? I've stared and stared at them the way I see you sometimes watch the sky," Peder said, looking at Miri. "As long as I can remember, I've wanted to make things like that, something more than blocks of stone. I sometimes . . . You promise not to laugh at me?"

Miri nodded.

"You know how I carve little things from thrown-off linder?"

Miri smiled. "Yes, you made me a goat once. I still have it."

Peder smiled back. "You do? I remember that goat. He had a crooked smile."

"A perfect smile," Miri disagreed.

"It's probably childish, but I like making things like that. Linder shapes really well, better than rubble rock. I'd like to make designs in the blocks, things rich lowlanders might buy to have over doorways or above their hearth."

"Why don't you?"  
"If Pa ever found me making stone pictures, he'd whip me for wasting time. We barely cut enough linder each year to trade for food, and it doesn't seem likely that anything will ever change."

Miri paused. "It might." Peder looked up. Did she know something he didn't?

"How?"

Miri looked away and asked him another question. Peder shrugged off the question and asked about her winter, suddenly curious about what she'd done. Miri tried ignoring the questions, but Peder sighed in frustration. "Why are you being so evasive? Tell me, I really want to know."

Miri paused, seeming to be waiting for a signal. She glanced at Peder, and he smiled. She rubbed his head and finally said, "You may be sorry you asked," and then told him about her winter.

Miri told Peder about her lashing, the first snowfall, the girls' escape from school. She told him about reading and writing and Conversation and Commerce. She spoke quickly, in a brusque manner. Finally she told Peder about quarry-speech.

"It sometimes works outside the quarry," she said and then shrugged. "Though it sometimes doesn't."

"Try it right now," Peder insisted.

Miri swallowed and glanced at Peder's face. Then, rapping her knuckles on the linder, she started to sing a love song. Peder smiled and asked, "What are you doing?"

Miri stopped and blushed. "I'm . . . I thought you said to try to quarry-speak."

"Yes, but you know you don't have to pound and sing, right? You know that in the quarry we happen to be pounding and singing while we work, but that we can use quarry-speech without doing all that."

"Yes, of course," Miri smiled. "Of course I knew that. Only an idiot would think you have to pound the stone to make quarry-speech after all."

"Yes, of course." Peder laughed. Miri laughed too and bumped him with her shoulder. What was she thinking about before that made her blush?

"So you don't have to pound, and the only singing happens inside," Miri continued. She then quarry-spoke to Peder, who suddenly remembered the afternoon he carved the linder goat for Miri. The vision felt like Miri – Peder could tell Miri quarry-spoke to him.

"That was strange," said Peder when the vision ended. "Is that what you mean by memories? It felt like quarry-speech, but I'm used to hearing the warnings we use as we work. This time, I was just thinking about the afternoon when I made that linder goat." His eyes widened, excited. "Is it because you spoke a memory? One that I knew, one that I lived, so it was so clear to me . . ." Peder was shocked. "Miri, that's amazing."

"I wonder why it worked now. . . ." Miri trailed off as she smooted her hand over the linder. Suddenly, she smiled. "Peder, I think I understand. I think it's the linder."

Confused, Peder asked, "What's the linder? What do you mean?"

Miri stood up and explained, "The academy floor is made of linder, so is this stone, and the whole quarry . . . you see? Those other times when it didn't work, I must have been outside or on rubble rock." Understanding slowly dawned on Peder's face. "Maybe quarry-speech works best around linder."

"Sit back and let me try." Peder yanked Miri's arm and made her sit by him. He noticed how their legs were touching and shivered.

Peder closed his eyes and concentrated hard on that memory Miri just showed him. Finally, after many seconds of frustration, he accomplished his goal: he could tell that Miri got the message.

"I couldn't figure it out at first. I'm so used to repeating the quarry warnings we always use."

"You told me once that quarry-speech was like singing inside, and that's how I knew what to do."

Peder shook his head. "Huh. A lot has happened while you were away." And all for the better.

"I'd tell you more if I thought I could do it before sunup."

Peder smiled. "I'm sure you would. It must have been very hard to keep quiet all those weeks."

Miri punched his shoulder lightly.

Peder stood off into the distance. "I can imagine you at the academy window, looking off toward the village, believing you could see it if you just looked hard enough. You always were a hawk, gazing at the mountains as if you could see a mouse running on a far hill, or at the sky as if you could count every feather on a sparrow's wing."

Peder felt embarrassed, admitting that he watched Miri so closely. He tried to change the subject.

"I've never told anyone about carving stone. I don't know how you got it out of me."

Miri laughed. Peder smiled at her laugh: he'd really missed it this winter. "Because I'm pushier than a billy goat mad. I won't tell anyone else," she added.

"I know you won't. I know that about you." Peder stared at her and reached out, holding the end of her braid. Miri's eyes widened slightly, and Peder brushed her braid across his palm. He frowned. "Do you ever wear your hair loose?"

Miri's voice creaked when she answered. "Sometimes. I did last year at autumn holiday."

Peder blinked; he remembered the day. "That's right. I miss all the time we had when we were younger, don't you? It'd be nice to go exploring the peak again, maybe on rest days," he added.

"It would. When I'm not at the academy anymore."

Mentioning the academy made Peder mad. He let go of Miri's braid and looked at his hands. "The academy. So, you might marry the prince?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm trying to do my best in class so maybe he'd notice me." Peder clenched his fists. "I mean, he'd have to choose me from all the other girls . . . and I'm not trying _not_ to be the princess or anything. It's just . . . he won't pick me." Her voice was slightly wistful as she broke off.

"Why not?" Peder asked, even though he didn't want to. But he knew that if Miri wanted to be the princess – even though she'd be married to the prince – he would want that for her. He'd want to give anything she wanted to her. "I mean, why wouldn't he? You're the smartest one in the class," Peder said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Miri blushed. "I didn't mean to make it sound like that –" she said, trying to be modest.

"Well, I bet you are," Peder interrupted, his voice rising. "And if he's half a prince he'll see that and then want to carry you off to the lowlands to put you in fancy dresses. But I don't think you need to wear lowlander dresses. You're just fine." Peder's face flushed. He stood up, trying to find an excuse to leave. "Never mind. I should get back to my family."

Peder turned around, wanting more than anything for Miri to say something back, for her to say something funny, something sweet, something that mattered. He sighed, and a moment passed. Then he started to walk away.

"I won't tell anyone about your stone carving," Miri blurted out. Peder stopped in his tracks. "But I think it's wonderful, and I think you're wonderful."

Peder paused. Did he really hear what he just heard? Was it just wishful thinking? He pinched his arm, making sure he was awake. A sharp pain confirmed his guess.

Well, what now? What was he supposed to do? Turn around and see if that was really what she was thinking? Did she know what he was thinking? Or should he just keep on walking?

Peder realized the silence kept on stretching on and on. He should say something.

Peder turned around. "You're my best friend, you know." He winced; it was a really bad line to say. Miri just nodded. "I wish I had something to give you, some welcome home." Peder patted his pocket, wondering if he left a piece of linder there or a linder carving. Nope. Nothing there. But he knew he had to give something to Miri, something to make this moment memorable. An idea crossed his mind.

"It's all right, Peder, you don't have to –"

Peder bent down and kissed her cheek. Her cheek was smooth and warm. Beautiful. He left, not wanting to see her reaction, wanting to leave as soon as possible before he blurted out how much he liked her, how much he wanted to be with her.

He walked away quickly and found a hidden spot where he could watch Miri. (**A/N**: I know, he's such a stalker. Haha.) He could see her, frozen where he'd left her, smiling ever so slightly. He smiled.

Britta walked up to Miri and asked her something. Apparently it was about how she was smiling, because Miri glanced at where she'd last seen Peder. Peder's smile grew.

* * *

Peder sat down at the edge of the fire and watched as the villagers held council. He could make out Miri, sitting by her pa and Britta, listening avidly to the conversation.

"But no matter how much linder we cut, Os, it won't be enough," Peder's pa said. "The absence of the girls meant fewer hands to help. My own boy has had to care more for the goats and the home, and that's one less stone this season. Isn't that right, Laren?"

Miri's pa nodded and remarked, "I feel the pinch this year."

Peder's heart thumped as he saw Miri stand up. "I have something to say."

Peder leaned forward as Miri nervously cleared her throat. "At the academy," she began, "I found a book that explains how linder is sold in the lowlands. Apparently, our stone is so prized that the king himself will only use linder for his palaces, and the only place in all of Danland that produces linder is right here. So because demand for linder is high and supply is limited, it's worth a great deal."

Miri looked around and cleared her throat again. "In the rest of the kingdom, they trade for gold or silver coins instead of just food and supplies. In the capital, a block of linder is worth one gold coin, and in turn a gold coin can buy five bushels of wheat."

Miri paused; Peder could barely hear her pa say, "Miri."

"I know I'm asking you to believe a lowlander book, but I believe it, Pa," Miri said, her voice rising. "Why would a lowlander write anything good about Mount Eskel unless it was true?"

Britta added, "Miri showed me the book, and I think it's true as well." Peder immediately felt gratitude toward the lowlander girl.

Os, shaking his head, said, "It's easy to believe the traders will cheat us as much as they can, but what can we do about it?"

"Refuse to trade for anything but gold or silver, and at decent prices. Then if they don't haul enough goods to trade for our cut linder," Miri said, "we can take their money down the mountain to buy even more." Peter idly wondered when Miri got this smart.

"There's a large market in a town three days from here. We stayed at an inn on my journey last summer," Britta added. "Gold and silver there would buy you much more than what the traders bring to your village."

"I can see the value in trading elsewhere," Os said, rubbing his beard, "but if the traders won't take our linder for gold . . ."

"If they won't, we threaten to take the linder down the mountain," Ma said. "If we trade linder in that market ourselves, we'll earn even more."

"No, no. We don't have the wagons or mules, and we don't know the first thing about a town marketplace," one of the villagers said. "What if we drag all our blocks there and no one buys? What if in the process we offend the traders and they never return?"

The discussion continued until Miri finally spoke up. "I don't think the likes of Enrik would let it go that far. I really believe the traders are making heaps of money from our stone. They'll know we could sell the linder for more in the lowlands, and then they would be cut out of any profit. What do you think, Pa?" she asked, looking up at her pa.

Miri's pa nodded. "I think it's worth the risk."

The villagers continued the discussion and consulted Britta about trade. "My father was a merchant," she said. "I can make sure they don't cheat you. But what if the king gets impatient for the linder, and he sends men up here to quarry the stone themselves?"

Peter snorted. Frid's pa answered her question, saying, "If all lowlanders have arms as skinny as the traders do, they'll have to rest between each mallet strike."

Ma added, "That's one thing we don't have to worry about, Britta. Let them come, and they'll give up after their first block cracks. We have linder in our bones."

The conversation never did end. Peder watched Miri half-close her eyes sleepily and gaze at the shadows of the fire. He'd never forget this day, because this could be the day that changed everything.

* * *

**A/N:** Bleh, this took me three days to write, all because of school. **sigh** So how's your school going?


End file.
